Hedge Funds

While individuals who work for hedge funds had been contributing to campaigns for years, the industry itself didn't emerge as a significant political player or campaign contributor until 2007, coinciding with the increased scrutiny the industry began to face from lawmakers. However, the industry has more than made up for lost time. Hedge funds contributed nearly $40 million during the 2012 election cycle -- more than double their contributions during the 2008 election cycle.

Over the years, hedge funds have donated mostly to Democrats. However, that trend changed in 2010 and continued in 2012, when Democrats received only 24 percent of contributions from the industry. The industry's top contributor during the 2012 election cycle was Renaissance Technologies, which contributed more than $8.9 million. [Read more Background]

Average Contributions to Members of Congress, 1990-2014

Data for the current election cycle were released by the Federal Election Commission on Monday, February 02, 2015

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